A/N: Wow, you guys really outdid yourselves on the last chapter. 19 reviews! That's more reviews than on any other chapter, but then again, I got 300 visitors, and only 19 reviews? Not to push but… Oh well, whatever. I don't do this for reviews anyway, but it is encouraging.

Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter—so did I!

I woke up this morning and briefly thought about how I'd end the story (I already know). But then I started fell asleep and dreaming it, and the dream was a horrid ending in comparison. I'm stoked for the ending to this story, or at least to this particular part of the plot.

Here's today's chapter. I wasn't going to give you this much, but hey, you deserve it. I'm really excited for what we've got in store! I think you guys are really gonna dig it… I've never said that phrase before…

McGee sat at his desk typing furiously. Abby's arms were wrapped around McGee's shoulders, but she was shaking due to the sudden burst in adrenaline combined with the already caffeine-high.

"Abby, I can't work with you like this," he finally said.

She left him and began to pace in the bullpen. "Alright fine, I just can't believe Ziva might actually be alive!"

"You can't believe it?"

"No, I just mean—well, it's not that I ever believed she was dead, it's just that…." Abby sighed as she just looked at Tim, who stared knowingly back at her. "It's been over two months, Timmy," she said simply.

McGee gave a small half-smile. "I know, Abby,"

She took a deep breath and moved on, walking back over to him and looking over his shoulder. "Where's Tony and Gibbs?"

"Talking with Vance,"

Abby smirked, certain that it was much more than "talking." "How'd he find out? He's been in conferences all day, uninterrupted,"

"He had a program written to alert him every time the case files were accessed and sent to his phone,"

"It sucks that he's so good with a computer," Abby commented, though she was smiling as she shook her head. "And what are you doing?"

"Searching for anomalies in the files while copying the data to my USB,"

"Multi-tasking. I like it,"

"Shouldn't you be doing something before Vance makes us stop?"

"You really think he'll do that?" Abby shrugged as he gave her a look. "Well I am. I'm redoing the DNA test and doing a full tox-screen,"

"That'll take like fourteen hours, Abby,"

"Yeah, but it's a step up from where we are now,"

McGee shrugged in agreement. "Isn't there something else you could be doing?"

"Fine, fine," she said, walking away. "I probably could be doing something anyway…"

"I don't know where to begin," Vance said after Tony explained what they had found out. "You broke protocol, defied my direct orders, endangered our international relations with Mossad and more importantly, Israel. Miss Scuito is no doubt rerunning the evidence, and I suspect McGee is going through the files too. Are you asking to lose your job, Agent DiNozzo? Because that certainly won't be a problem now,"

"Are you firing me?" Tony asked, his voice deep and serious. Gibbs stood beside him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Unless you can give me a good reason why I shouldn't,"

Tony sighed just a little. "Officer David was my partner, sir. Partners… Partners are always partners, sir, and I'm sure you know that. When she died, a part of me died, and I was sure I would. And I almost did. But then I realized," Tony's voice softened as he remembered the presence of her letter in his pocket, worn from reading. "I realized she wouldn't want me to let that happen, and she definitely wouldn't want me to just stop living. The truth is, sir, she changed me. She saved my life. And I owe it to her to save hers," Vance continued to watch him, not blinking. "I know I shouldn't have broken the rules, Director. But she was my partner. And if she's alive she still is. And I don't abandon my partners. Wouldn't you do the same for your partner?"

Vance studied Tony's face. The Special Agent wasn't backing down. Vance sighed and touched some papers on his desk absentmindedly, then looked back up at the pair. Like father, like son, he thought. "You'd better be right then, Agent DiNozzo,"

"I am, sir," he said.

"Alright then,"

"So I can go back to work?"

"Unofficially. We'll have to reschedule your evals,"

"When this is over," Tony said.

"When this is over," Vance agreed.

Tony and Gibbs nodded to Vance and walked out past Cynthia who had been slightly startled to see them emerge without any bruises on their faces or tears on their clothes. Shutting the door as they entered the hallway, Tony stopped.

"Boss, why didn't you say anything? You didn't say a word the entire time,"

"Didn't need to,"

"Why?"

"It's how I trained you, DiNozzo,"

"To never apologize,"

"To never desert your partner," Gibbs corrected. "At the end of the day,"

"They're all you've got," Tony finished knowingly. Gibbs gave him a small nod, his eyes speaking more than the words that were never said.

I'm here with you.

"So what do we do now?" Tony asked.

"We find her. Check on Abby, I'll meet you down there in ten minutes," he replied, walking away, likely heading out for coffee.

"On it," Tony said, walking to the elevator. He entered it as a group left.

Tony stood in the elevator, staring at the doors as they closed, leaving him alone. It ding!ed and he shut it off. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around, remembering.

I'm tired of pretending. For once, the silence wasn't a thousand piercing bullets.

For once, the memory didn't bring that same familiar pain. It was new, it was different.

And for once, his heart was accompanied not by the ache of missing her, but with the hope that he would get a second chance.

And then it hit him.

"Ah, come on, Boss, I was up really late and--" He began to complain.

"Hot date?" Ziva said slyly, but her eyes spoke something else.

"No," Tony corrected her. "I watched the Titanic. It's a long one,"

"Most cruise liners are," She said, missing the point. Ziva stood. She walked out in front of her desk, knife still in her hand. "I will go," she volunteered before sending a smirk Tony's way. "I have been sitting at my desk far too long this morning," She explained as Gibbs stared at her strangely. Finally, he nodded, and she absentmindedly set it on Tony's desk. She grabbed her things and headed toward the elevator. "I'll be back," She called cheerily, happy to get out of the building.

Tony flipped the emergency elevator button urgently, willing the elevator to go faster.

I'll be back.

Abby was working in her lab as usual, only today it wasn't so unusual. Her overly-loud music was playing and she was slurping a Caf-Pow as she worked, but today there was a new sense of urgency, of need.

Tony walked into her lab only to be surprised by a huge bear hug encompassing him, thanks to the resident goth.

"She's alive! She's alive!" She cried happily into his shoulder.

He pulled away and walked to her screen, staring at it. "You have proof?"

"No, not yet, but McGee told me everything and there's no way she's dead. At least, she didn't die then,"

"What about the tox-screen or the DNA?"

"Won't know for another twelve hours at least—maybe more, maybe less," Tony nodded, obviously a bit disappointed.

Gibbs walked in then, coffee and Caf-Pow in hand. "Whatdya got, Abs?"

"Nothing yet. Still processing. You know, I could probably buy a Caf-Pow factory with the number of times people have asked me that today, not to mention the number of times people have asked me that in the entire time I've been--"

"Gibbs, she said she'd be back," Tony said, unable to wait any longer. Abby turned back to her screens and began to type, but was still visibly paying attention to their conversation. McGee walked into the lab, joining the group.

"What?"

"The day she left, she volunteered to leave. She practically forced you to let her leave," Gibbs gave him a look. "Not that anyone can force you to do anything, Boss, but my point is, she's the one who decided to leave. I didn't think anything of it, but Gibbs, when she was leaving, she said, 'I'll be back,'"

"You think she knew?"

"I think she set herself up,"

Gibbs looked at Tony for a moment, studying his face. "So do I,"

"But why would she do that?" Abby piped up, face still intent on her desktop. "Do you think she was in trouble?"

"Why didn't come to us?" Tony asked. Why didn't she come to me? Both Abby and Gibbs heard the truth in his words. His heart fell for a moment and he looked away, a serious expression upon his face.

Gibbs sighed a little. "Go home, Tony,"

"What if Ziva is in trouble? What if she needs us?"

"She's been gone almost two months. What's the first thing you need to know about Ziva?"

"She can take care of herself," Tony said.

"That's right. Head home, get some sleep,"

After a few more minutes of arguing and excused, Tony left for home.

Abby turned to Gibbs. "This sucks,"

"I know," Gibbs said.

Abby sighed and rolled her eyes in frustration with the whole matter. "Do you really think she's alive?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense,"

"Rule number 2: never assume. Always double check,"

"And I will,"

Abby gave a half-smile, her eyes still weary though not tired. "I know, Gibbs. You'll save her. You always do,"

Gibbs looked away and shrugged a little. "Not always, Abs,"

"But you will this time," She said with soft certainty.